Hydro-priming improved germination and vigour of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) seeds

Kenaf is grown for fibre in many African countries and propagated by seed, thus biomass and economic yields depend on seed vigour and seedling stands establishment. However, kenaf seeds are reported to have poor physiological quality consequently limiting biomass productivity. In this study, seed invigoration treatment with various durations of hydro-priming including 0 hour (control), 24, 48 and 78 hours was investigated in 12 accessions of kenaf seeds. Data were collected on seed germination at 3 and 7 days after sowing (DAS), seedling length and weight upon emergence, while germination rate and a seed vigour index was calculated from the data. The data were subjected to the PROC GLM procedure of SAS statistical package. The results showed significant effects of hydro-priming and genotype on all the seed viability and vigour variables (P<0.05 and P<0.01). Mean viability of control seed lots at 7 DAS was 8.67% and significant differences were found between hydro-primed seeds and control seed lots for all the seed quality variables. Seeds hydro-primed for 24 hours had above 100% germination. Interactive effects of genotype and hydro-priming treatments showed that early germination and cumulative germination consistently increased from 6% in control seed lots to 31% in hydro-primed seed lots for 4 genotypes. Seed vigour of 9 genotypes (75% of experimented accessions) was also improved with seed hydro-priming for 24 hours in almost all the accessions. The results suggest that hydro-priming for 24 hours optimised seed germination and vigour and is therefore recommended for kenaf seed invigoration treatment before planting.